Kaiser workers deciding whether to switch unions

OAKLAND, Calif. 
Workers at Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente are deciding whether to switch unions in what experts say is among the largest private sector union elections in the past several decades.

The mail-in balloting will continue until Oct. 4. At stake is whether more than 40,000 respiratory therapists, dietitians, housekeepers and other Kaiser employees will continue to be represented by the Service Employees International Union or switch to the National Union of Healthcare Workers.

The National Union of Healthcare Workers broke off from SEIU and has been organizing elections at hospitals and clinics in an attempt to supplant SEIU.

Experts say the outcome of the Kaiser vote could influence upcoming votes at Catholic Healthcare West, another large health system, and other California hospitals.